>> on "america tonight" desperate families sending their children to another country in hopes of saving them. it's not a new story. we're on an exodus from another time go i kept looking back and seeing my mother. when they finally gave us the go ahead to get on the plane it was pretty rushed. i had a glance back towards my mother, and she was waving goodbye. >> children on the road. how these cuban children came to become americans, and what their experience might help us learn

about the current crisis on the border. also tonight california nearly tapped out. why so many are in deep denial about the drought and what the state plans to do to shut off the taps. and on a crisis still developing at this hour, a brief pause in the action, but no sign of full cease-fire as the middle east conflict continues to rage. and helping us understood the roots of the conflict, sheila mc victor maps out the crisis and how tensions exploded, and why it's so difficult to end it. >> good evening, and thanks for

sho joining us, i'm joie chen. reserveservessists at the gaza border. despite the threat of the ground invasion, a slight break after nine days of airstrikes israel announces a six-hour pause to allow humanitarian aid into gaza. among the dead, four more palestinian children were killed by israeli navy shelling. al jazeera's stephanie decker is on the ground in gaza city, and she joins us now. stephanie, we've heard quite a bit here about the airstrikes. but what you witnessed earlier in the day is a strike from sea. >> reporter: that's right, and it happened right in front of a hotel full of journalists. there was a shack on a small peer that goes out to see 150 meters away from where we were.

i heard two explosions and took a picture. that picture shows four boys running away from the area where the shells hit. and then i heard a third explosion. four boys were killed in this attack and their bodies were found further up the beach. one body was taken out by stretcher from the peer, and it seems that these boys were hit up on the beach. we've had a statement from the israeli army. i did call them to get a reaction, and they said based on preliminary results the target of this strike was hamas terrorist operatives. the reported civilian casualties are a tragic outcome and the investigation is ongoing, but we've been in front of that location for the past nine days and we've seen no rockets being fired from there, and there were no men with fighting aids, just children. a tragic incident here that killed four boys. >> and does it represent, stephanie, any change in what you've seen?

there have been reports that fishermen in this area have had difficulties, pressures from the israeli ships at sea? >> reporter: yes, because our hotel is right on that port there are hits there every night. last week a boat was hit a couple of base later. then another boat was hit. israelis are targeting there, but we saw children who ran away from the area where two of the shells hit. it was a question that we put to the israeli army. they said they were targeting hamas operatives, and from what i saw and colleagues saw they were targeting children, and people are petrified here. people are terrified of how this is playing out. they've had to leave their homes along the borders because israel said they're going to target those areas because it's

believed there are centers where hamas launch rockets towards israel. i can tell you she's explosions, when they come at night they're loud and children are terrified. this is also psychologically devastating. >> we do want to ask you as well about the concerns, the possibilities still that there would be some sort of ground incursion by the israelis. what is the perception on the ground there in gaza city? >> well, this has been a message from the israeli government that that option is on the table. further 8,000 reserves were called up, and they ar they are amassing on the border. there is not much that they can do. the they did come in partially, and it does

have casualties here. we've already seen 200 people killed here. but a ground invasion is something that the israeli government will possibly be looking at as a last resource because the hamas has shown itself to be stronger this time around. there has been a whole underground tunnel system that has been built, and the israelis are not sure how it works. and there will be casualties on the israeli side when they come in because hamas will not stand for an envision. massively concerning for the people here. >> al jazeera's stephanie decker reporting to us. we hear an explosion again as well. underscoring the point that aerial bombardments have not stop. sheila mcvictor. if the they are getting warnings. >> they are getting warnings . israel is dropping

these leaflets warning families east, west and north of gaza city to leave their homes or risk death or injury in bombardments. at 8:00 in the morning as specified some families could be seen making their way to the center of town carrying their belongings with them. some stayed put. some stayed because hamas told them to stay, and some not believing anything would happen. and some people with no place to run to. >> help us get a better picture for what this area is like, gaza itself. how big is it? what does it look like? >> gaza is 25 miles long and it's narrowest less than four miles wide and at its widest, it's seven miles wide. it's one of the most densely populated places on the planet at

1.8 million. think of the population of colorado in a place the size of philadelphia and crammed in. there are orange groves, beach beaches, farms, so gaza is has been blockaded since 2007 when hamas took control there. >> tell me about bla blac blockaded. >> let's talk about israel first. israel controls everything that goes in and out of gaza. for example, since june there have been no exports from gaza, so if you are a farmer and you want to sell your strawberries, you're not selling them anywhere but gaza. the u.n. office of humanitarian affairs says that just over 200 people a day on average were permitted to leave gaza. compared with 26,000 just a few years ago.

and further back than that, many, many thousands of gazaens used to go to work in israel. the only way you could leave is if you have a foreign passport like an american passport or if you were granted permission by israel for medical treatment or to cross israel to go to the west bank to see family, and obviously there are very few permissions like that being given. >> when you say there is a blockade, it means that things are not coming in to gaza. what kinds of things are we talking about, basic supplies? >> basic supplies. there is another way in there gaza, through the southern border, rafa. there were tunnels opened through rafa through which were smuggled all kinds of things. necessary supplies, weapons, people, all kinds of things. with the new government in cairo those tunnels have been effectively closed and shut off. the only crossing that is

operating now is the former rafa crossing. that leaves the palestinians with what can come in through egypt or what israel permits to come in. and since it began, israel has let into gaza only food, medicine, and fuel. no clothes, no wood. some medical supplies, yes. what's not coming into gaza for months now, nine months since october 2013 cement. the israeli minister of defense said cement is a dual-used tool. it could effectively be used as a weapon because they alleged that palestinians were using cement to build tunnels in order to smuggle more goods including weapons into gaza. what that has meant in real terms, construction in gaza has collapsed. it was worth more than a quarter of their gdp and raised unemployment to 41% and if you're under 25 the unemployment rate is 58%. that's one of the highest

unemployment rates in the world. 70% of residents of gaza are dependent on humanitarian aid. >> adding to the stress and anxiety. thanks. when we return, a look back at migrant children on the run. >> i kept looking back and seeing my mother. when they finally gave us the go ahead to go on the plane it was pretty rushed. i just had a glance back towards my mother and she was waving goodbye. >> a nearly forgotten piece of immigration history. when cuban children left their country and into the american dream. what operation pedro can tell us about the current crisis on our borders. later here, drowning out doubt about the droughts. getting residents to comply with water restrictions, and why so many remain in drought denial. real reporting that brings you

the world. >> this is a pretty dangerous trip. >> security in beirut is tight. >> more reporters. >> they don't have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. >> more bureaus, more stories. >> this is where the typhoon came ashore. giving you a real global perspective like no other can. >> al jazeera, nairobi. >> on the turkey-syria border. >> venezuela. >> beijing. >> kabul. >> hong kong. >> ukraine. >> the artic. real reporting from around the world. this is what we do. al jazeera america. >> al jazeera america presents a global finacial powerhouse >> the roman catholic church, they have an enormous amount of power >> accusations of corruption... >> there is a portion of the budget that takes care of all the clerical abuse issues. >> now we follow the money and take you inside the vatican's financial empire. >> when it comes to money, this is one of the sloppiest organizations on earth... >> al jazeera america presents... holy money only on al jazeera america

>> saturday >> prop 8, really made us think about this process of coming out. >> meet the committed couples >> gay marriages, straight marriages... have the same challenges. >> it's all about having the same options as everybody else. >> that fought for equality >> saying "i do" changed everything. >>every saturday, join us for exclusive, revealing and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time. "talk to al jazeera" saturday 5 eastern only on al jazeera america >> as immigration officials struggle with the current border crisis with tens of thousands of children flooding into the united states, another crisis decades ago gives us a different picture at a time when u.s.

welcomed and even helped children enter this country alone. 14,000 minors from cuba entered the u.s. with the help from our government. what we might learn from that exodus tonight. >> i remember waking up and thinking that this is my last day here. i may never see my parents again. >> carlos was only 11 years old when he left cuba alone on a flight to the united states. it was the height of the revolution. >> when it first came up i was very happy to hear, oh great, i get to leave. i was scared about leaving my parents but i felt that life was so horrible that it seemed better to me. >> reporter: he packed a few carls of clothing and bordered a flight to the united states. never realizing that it would be the last time he would ever see his father. >> i thought yes, i will, i will get to see him, but then he died. >> thousands of cuban children were sent to the u.s. alone by parents who feared the cuban government run

by fidel castro . operation pedro pan. >> i kept looking back and seeing my mother. when they finally gave us the go ahead to go on the plane it was pretty rushed. i just had a glance back towards my mother, and she was waving good buy. >> reporter: ref lend luis lellon spent time with his father before he left. >> what i remember from that summer leading up to august was a lot of fishing trips. >> what do you think your dad was doing by spending so much time with you? >> well, he was sick. i knew he would not be leaving cuba. i think this was his way of being with me. >> do you remember the last thing you said to him was? >> no, i just remember hugging him. hugging him really hard.

i don't remember--i don't remember the words. >> reporter: he said he was nervous when he boarded the plane to the united states. nervous about leaving his country and his family, but he'll never forget hearing gunfire during the revolution and seeing armored vehicles in the streets. >> everybody realized that castro was there to say. the rumors was that the children would be sent to russia to be educated in russia. so there was nervousness about that happening to your children. >> my parents got very desperate because they started indoctrination in schools. and a lot of children turned against the parents. it was becoming a real tragedy. >> reporter: a teenager during the revolution. >> i started posting things against the government. stuff like down with fidal, and stuff like that. my mom was scared because kids

don't have knowledge of the danger. >> reporter: as a daughter of two famous cuban performers, she thought her trip out of the country would be brief. >> they made it sound like, oh, you're traveling to a summer camp. i was traveling with my sister. she asked my mom, why do i have to leave? how do you explain to a five-year-old child that she had to leave her mother and father, you know. >> reporter: though she didn't know him them, alvarez's future husband, a future grammy winning latin music star in the united states was also boarding the plane as part of operation pedro pan. >> did you feel lonely or sad? no, no, no. no, i did not. my experience was not . most of the kids who came on

pedro pan had that tough lonely thing. i was not because i was surrounded by 86 kids just like me. [♪ singing ] >> reporter: this documentary "the lost apple" was funded by and produced by the united states information agency. it provides a glimpse of what the children of operation pedro pan could expect. >> when you go away to camp everything is strange. >> reporter: the children were taken in by relatives, foster homes, orphanages or boarding schools until their parents could arrive. >> we took the plane to iowa. we went to an orphanage. i don't know why they separated my sister and i. she was the only thing that i had, and i was her only family. her only person that she knew. [♪ singing ] >> reporter: alvarez, who had

been performing since she was a child began to use music as an outlet. >> i remember the first song i ever wrote was a song from cuba. >> reporter: how did it go? can you sing it? >> oh, it said. [♪ singing ] that's the chorus, oh my hometown, nobody is doing anything for you. it's like a question, like a cry. >> reporter: for willie music was a way of making friends. >> we went to this party, and there was a little band playing. one of us said, hey, i talked to the drummer, and i asked him to let you sit in, and they said yes. i go, oh, my--i never in my life had done that never, ever. we're going play "wipe out." [♪ singing ]

so i started play, and for some reason i did it good enough for them to believe i was a drummer. >> reporter: the adjustment was harder for those without an outlet. the reverend was in an orphanage. >> i remember my response was, i'm not an orphan. so the hard to make friends with kids who are orphans when your only way of identifying yourself, your identity is threatened by the fact that you're in an orphanage when i know that my parents are still alive. it's survival mode. that's what it felt like. how do i survive through all of this. >> reporter: alvarez and her sister were separated from their parents for three years. >> what was it like to have your family together again? >> reporter: oh, it was heaven. and then we were put i in a boarding school again because they had to go to puerto rico to get a home. and settle down in puerto rico.

they were, like, reunions and separations, reunions and separations. >> reporter: finally after a year of separation willie torino reunited with his family. >> it was really emotional. we cried, we embraced. you know, so finally . >> reporter: for luis, just 15 years old, there was no reunion with his family. >> there was a telegram, and my sister got a telegram and i got a telegram. they said, you know, that my father had died. i do remember crying, crying, crying the day that i got the telegram. probably a release of pent-up stuff. >> reporter: it would be four years before the reverend would see his mother again. >> and then it was a process of acclimation of getting use to each other again. it had been a long time. it was not an easy time. the last time she had seen me i was 11.

the next time she sees me i'm 15 years old, and you've been on your own for four years. >> reporter: what would you say this whole thing did to your family? >> well, it's not the same family unit. the hardest part of it all was i think was for my mother. she goes through this huge herculean effort to get to the united states, and when she gets here she find two children who are very different than the two she had sent. >> reporter: the reverend is now the in washington, d.c. carlos is a professor of religious studies at yale, and the two performers who never knew each other as children came together through their music. inspired by her childhood experiential varies now helps others who are

vulnerable . >> we take a lot of foster kids to come and take them to disney, stay through christmas. now i have an animal rescue. i know it has to come from all that, the things i went through as a child. >> reporter: how much would you say that your child is inspired by your experiences going through operation pedro. >> i would say a lot. a lot. i believe that--i know, as a matter of fact, that being an artist you touch people's emotions, including your own. >> reporter: which of your songs make you the most emotional and touched? >> of course, it's the song--it's a song that i wrote . the day would be arriving. [♪ singing ] for some reason that song touch the deepest fiber of emotion,

heart of every cuban . >> reporter: americamerica tonight's, laura jane, i'm sure that everybody must wonder how was the c.i.a. involved or did they admit it? >> that's the question, was the c.i.a. involved in this? there are lots of things online questioning whether the c.i.a. created this program or whether they participated in a program or whether their actions in cuba influenced the cuba. right now their official message to me, on the record, no comment. but we do know that the state department was involved clearing the way for the kids to come here. we know that the catholic welfare bureau was the group developing the program and managing the kids coming in here and making sure they had shelters and places to go. just like the kids coming across the border today, they ended up all over the country. >> to a very organized way. this bring us to the question of how these people face coming across the border now.

>> reporter: we spoke about that. willie talked about, he used the word painful to watch this. they really do have empathy knowing what they're going through. she said she wished she could hug all these children and do something for them and she could see both sides of the issue in this place. they talk about--willie said there was a difference to when they came in to what is happening now. they came in for political reasons, they came in legally with the full support 69 government. what is happening now is a different situation. and willie said that he feels like the children should not be sent back. >> he does not. have they made any attempt to try to get involved? >> reporter: willie does have a foundation. they do do things where they help children. in this specific situation i don't know that they've done anything like that, but he said there are plenty of multi millionaires who have come into the country in a similar way, maybe they could step up and get involved and come up with a solution. but they do have so much empathy

for these children and especially the innocence, so touched by her own sister not fully understanding why she came to the country. she feels like there are children like that now not knowing what they're getting into. >> thank you so much. when we return california's devastating drought, and why so many in the golden state have trouble. soaking up the truth about it. later in the hour is he the most beloved politician in america? what the mayor of charleston, south carolina, knows about governing. >> what i knew was that a great city is about making its present worthy . and what other local and national leaders might learn about his four decades in office. the crisis in ukraine. president obama takes a firmer line with the russian president putin with tough new sanctions,

and who is being targeted. >> audiences are intelligent and they know that their needs are not being met by american tv news today. >> entire media culture is driven by something that's very very fast... >> there has been a lack of fact based, in depth, serious journalism, and we fill that void... >> there is a huge opportunity for al jazeera america to change the way people look at news. >> we just don't parachute in on a story...quickly talk to a couple of experts and leave... >> one producer may spend 3 or 4 months, digging into a single story... >> at al jazeera, there are resources to alow us as journalists to go in depth and produce the kind of films... the people that you don't see anywhere else on television. >> we intend to reach out to the people who aren't being heard. >>we wanna see the people who are actually effected by the news of the day... >> it's digging deeper it's asking that second, that third question, finding that person no one spoken to yet... >> you can't tell the stories of the people if you don't get

their voices out there, and al jazeera america is doing just that. families ripped apart... >> racial profiling >> sometimes they ask questions... sometimes they just handcuff people... >> deporting dreams... destroying lives... >> this state is literally redefining what it means to be a criminal alien fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the doors... >> ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... >> truth seeking... award winning investigative documentary series fault lines the deported only on al jazeera america

>> on tech know, >> what if there was a miracle? >> grace's stem cells are in this box. >> that could save the live of your child... >> we're gonna do whatever we can >> would yo give it a try? >> cell therapy is gonna be the next big advance in medicine >> tech know, every saturday go where science meets humanity. >> this is some of the best driving i've every done, even though i can't see. >> tech know. >> we're here in the vortex. only on al jazeera america. >> the first major typhoon since typhoon haiyan.

close to a half million people were in the path of the storm. syrian president bashish swor bashar al-assad sworn in for his third-seve third seven-year storm. missouri from imprisoned in egyptian prison. mohammed fahmy and peter greste was given seven years each and badder mohammed receive ten years. al jazeera still demands the release of our journalists. president obama

targeting russia with sanctions. al jazeera scott heidler met a group of children and teachers who say they're hoping the violence ends soon. >> reporter: 17-year-old lydia gets good grades and wants to be a journalist. she has been living in an orphanage on the outskirts of donetsk. but in the middle of the night last friday all these children were evacuated by separatist fighters to an orphanage in--onetsk city. >> we went to bed and the bombing started. it was the scariest thing, a city of sleeping people and then there is bombing. >> reporter: just on the other side of the orphanage,s also an orphan, this woman grew up here.

she's now a teacher. >> i hope god will help us, that the children will come back hear and we'll have peace in our land. >> his mother in law's body is in his car. he kim to check in on her and found her charred remains. >> we need to bury her but i can't find the right authorities. thank goodness my wife is not with me. >> reporter: ukrainian officials say nine civilians died in two days of shelling. the children got out just in time. for the 33 orphans here it's a peaceful and welcomed change, but how long will it last? there are still hundreds of separatist fighters in donetsk and the ukrainian army is still on the move. 11 civilians were killed. separatists blame ukrainian

forces for the attack. the military denied it and said their aircraft in the region were grounded suggesting russia had something to do with it. despite the fighting lydia is still hopeful. she's looking forward to going to university in two years. >> i think we can survive all the troubles, and in the end ukraine will be united as it was before. i think it will be the best option, not like now when there is one country inside of another. >> reporter: but with ukraine's accusation of russia's involvement it's uncertain oh how soon or if these children will live in an united ukraine. scott heidler, al jazeera, donetsk. >> california californians facing good news and perhaps some bad news. president obama discussing

climate change and promised more help with drought relief. that after california water commission announced californians will be punished. >> reporter: this may cost you with water supplies running desperately slow, low, and the three-year-long drought show nothing signs of it clearing up. the water control board met tuesday to discuss mandatory cut backs. the new regulation include fines up to $500 a day for residents who are hosing their cars without shut off nozzles, hosing down sidewalks and allowing sprinklers are-to-run in the street. they'll also face fines for defying court ordered conservation measures.

most cities are likely to have a sliding scale for fines that starts with a warning and increases as citations continue. >> many people don't realize it, but they overwater. >> reporter: reporting neighbors and others seen flouting the rules. >> our water use has gone up exponentially over the last two years. obviously we can't be everywhere, so having people in the community helping us out is a great tool for us. >> reporter: but naturally not every is happy with that. >> personally i think that's inappropriate. you just go and talk to your neighbor. that's what you do. >> reporter: state regulators hope the restrictions will save enough water to supply about three and a half million people for a year. >> we need water. we're going to have to get water. >> reporter: earlier this year governor jerry brown appealed to californians to cut their water use by 20%.

but survey by state water authorities released last month showed consumption dropped 5% through may, and compared to may last year water use was up 1%. while the drought might mean a browner lawn for city dwellers, the impact for farmers and the state economy is far more serious. a new study released tuesday by the universe of california davis shows that the drought has brought lost revenue and 17,000 jobs. >> these are seasonal jobs, but they're seasonal and full time. they're from a sector of the population who have the least ability to roll with the punch punches. >> reporter: more than half of crops in the san joaquin valley are dying. cattle ranchers are also taking a big hit. when "america tonight" visited him last february he was contemplating having to sell a herd that was a livelihood for

three generations of his family. >> if we're going to go through the cow herd. we have a number picked out, maybe 20. we'll cut 40 to 60 in the next month and a half. i keep saying that in two weeks things are going to change. the it will rain more and the grass will start to grow more, but it isn't. >> reporter: many of his fellow ranchers already made the tough choice. people came from all over the state. normally 200 head of cattle would be up for sale. on this day more than a thousand hit the auction block. >> a lot of people have put a lot of effort and energy and time over the last 20 years to produce a high quality product, and when they sell their cows they have to start over . >> reporter: this is the worst in decades because ground water reserves are drying up, and for many farmers ground water is the only hope that comes with an agonizing rain. >> reporter: right now the demand for wells is extremely

high. we have a backlog of 12 to 13 months. we have six rigs running. everybody needs the water. it's just trying to get to them fast enough is extremely hard. some of the deeper wells, they might take a month to drill on the deep wells. >> reporter: along with access to water time is not on california's side. >> when we return, learning from the mayor. the longest-serving leader of a major u.s. city gently offers advice lawmakers in washington might want to consider. >> if your claim to fame is only with what people did before you, then you're not creating anything. you're not producing anything. >> reporter: our converse were charleston, south carolina, and mayor joe reilly ahead tonight. and a note about tomorrow's program. we ask is the american dream

dead. a groundbreaking study finds it is for many of us. if you're born poor in america escaping poverty is nearly impossible and skin color makes a big difference. americ"america tonight's" adam may and considering what opportunity really means. >> i hate to say it, but i wouldn't raise a dog in that part of town. >> your kids, where do you want them to end up? >> where they want. >> where they want. my son has always talked big. they have out of this world aspirations. my sons want mansions with ten rooms and seven bathrooms. >> they want the extreme american dream. >> exactly. >> blocked from reaching the american dream tomorrow on "america tonight." >> consider this: the news of the day plus so much more.

>> we begin with the growing controversy. >> answers to the questions no one else will ask. >> why did so many of these people choose to risk their lives? >> antonio mora, award winning and hard hitting. >> people are dying because of this policy... >> there's no status quo, just the bottom line. >> but what is the administration doing behind the scenes? >> real perspective, consider this on al jazeera america >> now inroducing, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for suvivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noise, no clutter, just real reporting. the new al jazeera america mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. download it now

there's more to financial news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, can fracking

change what you pay for water each month? have you thought about how climate change can affect your grocery bill? can rare minerals in china affect your cell phone bill? or how a hospital in texas could drive up your healthcare premium? i'll make the connections from the news to your money real. >> no matter where you are in the country, likely saw the first signs of the election season. although it's not a presidential year it will be a busy one at the ballot box. all congress and a third of the u.s. senate is up for grabs. we can hear a lot of voters say whatever, we don't care. throw all the bums out which makes the subject of our next story even more remarkable. the man "the new york times" recently called the most beloved politician in america is taking

himself out of the race. >> there is a saying about the people in the city i first heard when i lived here in the 1980's . charlestonnen, they say, are just like the chinese. they eat a lot of rice and they worship their ancestors . it is a city married to tradition, inclined to sticking with what works, but which for two generations picked a visionary to lead it. >> i knew that a great city i worthy 2347 he has had plenty of time to build on the path and to the further. riley is the longest serving mayor of any major american city. even know as he heads into his

40th and final year of office joe riley is thinking about building some more. >> if your claim to fame is only with what people did before you, then you're not creating anything. you're not producing anything. >> reporter: riley has been building a legacy in this city since his first election in 1975. at first, he tells me, it was about building relationships. a southern city with a grim history in the slave trade, race relations here were still tense in the mid 70's. their number one issue was crime, and the genteel downtown street streets were only faded glory. >> the streets from bustling with activity when i was a child was almost dead. many of the commercial buildings were deteriorating before your eyes. >> reporter: the product of an old charleston family, a

graduate of the citadel, the city's military academy. he had a brief career in law before becoming a somewhat unlikely candidate for the times. >> you're a white guy from an old family in the city. you were a native. there were others, africa african-americans, women, why were you the right man? >> well, that was for the voters to determine. i had been to the legislature in a very young age, and i gravitated towards working on progressive issues, and working on the challenges so the african-american leadership in the white business leadership saw in me somebody who could unify the city. >> from the start reilly took surprising steps. hiring a roller skating african-american police chief

named reuben greenberg, winning sister city ties with speleto, and creating what is today part of the city's landscape which was in the 1970's a pie in the sky dream a development called charleston place that faced enormous resistence from traditionalists who didn't like flashy newcomers. >> one guy tried to punch my lights out, but we knew it was the right thing. and then what that project did, it's been transformed. >> reporter: it turned out to be the first in a series of transformative projects. the south aquarium. the waterfront park. the stadium that now bears reillys name, and the center set

to become a world class performance hall, none of which happened without resistence and significant investment in both financial and political capitol. >> in 1983 when i first met you people didn't know that these things would work. >> no. no. >> but you knew. >> i was confident that what we were doing was right. i understood why people were opposed . the city had become afraid of people. you depopulated urban areas, and i understood why the people were afraid who from fighting it, but i knew they were wrong. i knew the only way to bring the city back to life is to have it energized with people living in it and visiting it and people on the sidewalks. people on the sidewalks in a downtown that's been dead is like you put people on the sidewalks, and it's like irrigating the park's lawn.

all of a sudden it comes back to life. >> and it did. charlton stay turns up not just on the list of best places to visit, but increasingly on the top tech and opportunity lists as well. weathering the worst of the recession the city has a triple-a credit rating. riley is careful not to say "i told you so" for those who may have doubted him over the years. instead he gently suggests it's the leader's job to swim often up stream. as a successful progressive democrat in an increasingly red state he can be prodded to give advice to washington's politicos. >> why can things happen at the city level that just get stuck at the federal government level? >> well, at the city level participat partisanship doesn't

sale. and i tell you something else there are no polls. i never taken a poll to help me decide what to do. i think in washington so often, it's upsmanship and polling and data and all of that. and the trouble with polling is, you're never leading when you're doing that. >> now, headed into his final year in office, riley is determined to lead and to belt begin. >> and so -- >> this is future? >> this will be the museum. >> riley's vision now is for an african-american history museum in the city not like the ones he says other cities have built. but one which confronts charleston's history as a port where four out of 10 africans

arrived as slaves. >> there were 880 slave ships and we know where every one came from. >> the museum he says will help african history. it is the least the city can do and, he says, the only projects that can complete his legacy even when he is gone. >> i think you know people will do very well and i'm sure that they will do better than i will. and that would make me very happy. you want a city to keep getting better. >> it does appear that mire riley is going to -- mayor riley is going to fulfill his dreams. he announced the african american museum that will go forward 13 years after the idea was put fostered. if it's gone as planned, it will open in 2018, that is three years after he officially leaves office. to a far more remote part of

our world, traveling the long road, to a fishing community in eastern canada. where an unlikely combination of artists and tourism offers a better home hope -- hope for the future. >> al jazeera america presents >> i don't want to work at the farm for my entire life. >> 15 stories one incredible journey edge of eighteen coming september only on al jazeera america

>> this, is what we do.

>> al jazeera america. >> and finally from us. saving a once bustling rural community in eastern canada with the help of artistic vision. little bay island, once supported thousands of residents

before overfishing moved it to decline. little bay island, newfoundland. >> at the edge of canada where the icy atlantic waters a bleak shore, are the island is the home of just over 2,000 people. the landscape shapes their lives their community. >> i think i grew out of these rocks and there's nothing i are are know i didn't learn from these rocks, somehow. >> zita cobb was born here 50 years ago. became one of the country's top busines businesswomen, now she fishes, attracts jobs. >> the only way to cure the playing of unemployment is to build economies that are based on culture. care. and craft. and that's what we've tried to do leer. >> reporter: -- here. >> culture and craft.

a stunning have mix of contemporary design. mo motifs drawn from local life. the island is known for its quilts, blankets sown from leftover fabric in an endless variety of fabrics. cobb's are craft translates into income creating jobs. doing what they've done for generations. >> during the period i've been here on residency, this is the perfect home of this message, inside a quilt. >> international artists are part of the mix, drawn by the setting, the culture and fully paid for residencies. starkly positioned in remote bits of shore taking full advantage of land and sea. rural communities cobb believes

have culture and human -- cultural and human capital. you can't put that in the bank but it has immense value. the challenge is to support those assets. to get outsiders come and appreciate and vest in what's here. >> i made a quilt, a patch work quilt. toronto is a bigger patch but neither of those can keep us warm on a cold winter's night. the ability we have is to stitch together the patches, you actually have a quilt, therefore you have a country. >> in time cobb hopes to share her philosophy and ideas with others, but it is all about this island. that communities exist in this environment, is a testament to human willpower and determination. keeping them viable in a fast-changing world is going to take even more of that. daniel lack, foa

fogel island, newfoundland. >> realizing the american dream for many americans. it remains just that, a dream. escaping the clutches of poverty is nearly impossible especially if you were born poor. "america tonight"'s adam may explores the question: is the american dream dead? and remember if you would like to comment on any of our stories, log on to aljazeera.com/americatonight. we'll have more tomorrow.

>> the violence has continued just a couple of miles from here >> just a short while ago we heard a large air strike very close by... >> people here are worried that this already serious situation may escalate. >> for continuing coverage of the israeli - palestinian conflict, stay with al jazeera america your global news leader. >> rupert murdoch aims to make his media empire even bigger with his eyes on an archrival. i'll tell what you time warner has that 21st century fox wants. and also southwest airlines is flying high. we'll talk to the man who is piloting the company about the recession, and all the fees that it's industry slaps on passengers. and the key to safety. i'm calling it something else.